From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, Day 3 selections, or priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Georgia Tech DT Jordan van den Berg.
No. 99 JORDAN VAN DEN BERG – 6032, 310 POUNDS (REDSHIRT SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
Player
Ht/Wt
Hand Size
Arm Length
Wingspan
Jordan van den Berg
6032/310
9 3/8
32 1/8
77
40-Yard Dash
10-Yard Dash
Short Shuttle
3-Cone
4.94
1.61
4.19
N/A
Broad Jump
Vertical
Bench Press
9’11″
36
35
THE GOOD
– Exceptional linear athlete for a defensive tackle
– Can play in the A or B gaps and hold his own
– Very strong at the point of attack throughout his whole body
– Explosive and powerful hands to stun offensive linemen upon first contact
– Holds his ground against double teams when he lines up as the nose tackle
– Above-average run defender who can stay on the field in early downs
– Constant effort and pursuit to the ball carrier or quarterback
– Plays with good awareness to diagnose plays and fill his gap
– Has superb upper body strength to toss smaller players aside
– Uses power from his leg drive to get low and get underneath guys to gain leverage
– Able to laterally move well on stunts and twists
– Fifth-highest pressure rate for defensive tackles in the nation (9.9 percent) despite playing at the 0-1i spot frequently, according to Pro Football Sports Network
– Best average yards gained per run tackle (0.10) in the nation for a defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Sports Network
– Very durable player who has never missed a game
– Extremely smart and cerebral guy
THE BAD
– Short arms create inherent disadvantages due to blockers getting first contact and manipulating his body
– Doesn’t have an elite or explosive first-step quickness off the snap
– Difficulty disengaging from blockers if he doesn’t win initially
– Tends to get hung up on blocks too long before trying to shed them
– Lacks high-end pass rush moves and counters, overly relying on his bull rush and power
– Elite athletic traits don’t always show up on the field
– Limited sack production despite significant snaps
– Needs to refine his hand techniques for shedding blocks sooner
– Agility and change-of-direction ability are below average due to tight hips
– Didn’t have a lot of productivity as a pass rusher until his fifth season
– Low number of snaps in total for his career could indicate his ceiling is a rotational DLÂ
STATS
– 20 starts and appeared in 53 games over 2-year career at Georgia Tech and 3-year career at Penn State University
– Career: 1,317 total snaps (1,041 B Gap, 208 A Gap, 56 over tackle)
– 235 special teams snaps (117 FG Block, 45 Punt Coverage, 38 FG Kick, 35 Punt Return)
– 93 tackles (50 solo), 20 TFLs, 56 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 0 batted passes, 0 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 missed tackles, 45 run stops, 0 penalties
– 2025: Started in all 13 games
– 44 tackles (22 solo), 11 TFLs, 29 pressures, 3 sacks, 5 missed tackles, 19 run stops
– 81.2 run defense grade per PFF
– 6.0 run stop percentage rate and -0.1 average depth of tackle
– 62.2 pass rush grade per PFF
– 6.0 percent pass rush win rate; 11.1 percent true pass set win rateÂ
INJURY HISTORY
– Sept. 2025: Had to leave the game early in the 4th quarter against Temple, but jogged off the field on his own. He missed the rest of that game, but didn’t miss the next game.
BACKGROUND
– DOB: 7/19/2002 (23 years old)
– Born and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa
– Family moved to the Atlanta metro area when he was 10 years old
– Played H.S. football for Providence Christian Academy in Lilburn, GA
– 2025 1st Team All-ACC
– 2024 2nd Team All-ACC
– 2024 prior to the start of the season, he transferred to Georgia Tech University
– 2022-23 was a rotational defensive lineman for the Nittany Lions and also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in both years
– 2021 transferred to Penn State University, where he took a redshirt season
– 2020 played for Iowa Western Community College and was a 1st-Team All-American
– Played high school football at Providence Christian Academy
– Two-time team captain and two-time team MVP
– Was an all-state first-team linebacker during the 2019 season
– Left Providence Christian Academy as the career leader in tackles, while also setting marks in most single-game tackles and the most tackles for loss in a single season
– 157 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 4 sacks during senior season
– Also earned three letters in baseball and two letters in basketball
– Has four brothers
– Played rugby in South Africa
– Grandfather, Francois van den Berg, competed and placed in the Universe Competition, the Mr. South Africa for bodybuilding
– Grandmother, Joan Rocchi, swam in the 1958 Commonwealth Games 1958 and held multiple South African swimming records
– Enjoys fishing in his spare time
– Also has spent time volunteer coaching for Pee-Wee football
– Earned his bachelor’s degree in telecommunications in December 2023 and is pursuing his master’s degree in international affairs, science, and technology
– Would like to be a defensive coordinator for a Power Five college football team in the future
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Jordan van den Berg made the most out of his opportunities for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in his two years there before coming from Penn State University. He’s a rugged, strong, straight-line athletic defensive tackle who uses his speed and power to win leverage battles at the line of scrimmage. He’s known for being a very stout run defender and relentless effort as a pass rusher to put pressure on interior offensive linemen.
He may have had some extra motivation going against his old team, but you can really see the high motor he plays with and the sheer will to force his way through blocks in the run game.
— Happy Days (@Jh86Guy) March 23, 2026
While he’s not the quickest guy laterally and has a hard time with change-of-direction movement, he hustles on every play.
— Happy Days (@Jh86Guy) March 23, 2026
When Jordan van den Berg can play north and south as a pass rusher, he can inflict a lot of damage to offensive linemen with his speed-to-power bull rush.
— Happy Days (@Jh86Guy) March 23, 2026
— Happy Days (@Jh86Guy) March 23, 2026
He really doesn’t have a large arsenal of moves. He mostly wins with the grip strength and power to force guys off of him or push them back into the pocket. Van den Berg has to develop some counter moves because his lack of arm length will force him to win hand-fighting battles more often in the NFL if he ever wants to become a 2-3 down player.
— Happy Days (@Jh86Guy) March 23, 2026
CONCLUSION
Jordan van den Berg is a dependable defensive lineman who can give an NFL team valuable depth to play in any of the 0-5 technique spots, depending on how teams want to utilize him. He has the brute strength and leverage to hold his own against double teams or shade over offensive tackles to set the edge and two-gap against the run. His lack of pass-rush repertoire, short arms, and limited agility are his biggest weaknesses.
He would be a nice fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who could give them snaps as a defensive end or as a nose tackle. Van den Berg could be a nice early-down run defender with disciplined gap control who can eat blocks to let the linebackers flow to the ball.
It was difficult to come up with a seamless NFL player comparison for him, but he honestly reminds me a lot of Chris Hoke when he played for the Steelers. A guy who wasn’t truly a full-time starter, but came in and gave a lot of high-quality snaps for a team when they needed it, especially as a run defender.
NFL Projection: Late Day 3/UDFA
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 6.7 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 6.3 – 7.1
Games Watched: vs Pittsburgh (2025), vs Syracuse (2025), vs Duke (2024), at Georgia (2024)